Stiffness Perceptual Changes of an Object Touched Through a Grasped Object by Manipulation of Haptic and Visual Stimuli of the Grasped Object

Abstract

Haptic presentation of virtual objects (VO) can enhance immersion by using real objects as manipulation targets. This study explores how the hardness and softness of a VO can be reproduced via a stylus by manipulating the properties of a real stylus and visual stimuli. Experimental results revealed that hardness perception through a soft real stylus is inaccurate without visual stimuli but can be altered when deformation-based visual stimuli are presented. These findings suggest that combining appropriate visual stimuli with stylus softness enables control over the perceived hardness of VO.